What are the major differences in doctrine between the Southern Baptists and the Missouri Synod?
A. While unlike the LCMS the Southern Baptist Convention does not require subscription to a credal statement or “body of doctrine” as such, one of the major doctrinal differences is a conflicting understanding concerning what the Bible teaches regarding Baptism and the Lord’s Supper–which Lutherans regard as divinely instituted sacraments and which our confessional writings call the Gospel in “visible” form (they are therefore at the heart and center of the Lutheran faith). The Baptist church rejects the Lutheran position on Baptism, including especially infant baptism and the mode of baptism (immersion required). Likewise, the Lord’s Supper is generally regarded as merely a commemorative meal, not a sacrament in which the body and blood of Christ is truly present in the bread and wine. Southern Baptist churches also typically stress the role of “free will” in conversion, and (accordingly) speak of faith in Christ as being attained through a person’s “choice” or “decision.” Lutherans,
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